Bajoran Provisional Government
The Bajoran Provisional Government was the government established on Bajor following the withdrawal of Cardassian occupational forces in 2369. It succeeded the Bajoran Occupational Government. Structure The chief executive of the Provisional Government was known as the First Minister, who was elected every six years. There were a number of Ministers who served in the Provisional Government and were known collectively over the duration of the government as the Bajoran Council, Board of Ministers, Chamber of Ministers and Council of Ministers. Relationship with Religious Leaders The secular Provisional Government shared its authority with the leaders of the Bajoran religion. The Vedek Assembly held much influence, with prominent Vedeks often engaging in political matters, such as negotiating treaties. The Kai, spiritual leader of Bajor, exercised a great deal of political influence over the Provisional Government. Disputes between the Kai and the First Minister of the government, while rare, could be extremely divisive. While it was not forbidden for the Kai to serve as First Minister, such concentration of power was discouraged. The Kai was permitted to engage in foreign policy, including negotiating and signing treaties on behalf of Bajor, in consultation with the secular authorities. The Emissary, Benjamin Sisko, also had significant clout in the Provisional Government. Ministers sought his advice on political programs and schemes. Any measures endorsed by the Emissary were likely to pass the Council of Ministers. Agencies & Institutes The Provisional Government maintained a number of executive agencies that assisted in the administration of its affairs. It was also oversaw several institutes for science and the arts. These included: *Bajoran Agricultural Ministry *Bajoran Archaeological Institute *Bajoran Center for Science *Bajoran Executive Committee *Bajoran Freight and Shipping Authority *Bajoran Intelligence *Bajoran Ministry of Commerce *Bajoran State Museum History The first year One of the Provisional Government's first actions, following its inception, was to request a Federation presence in the Bajoran system. This was realized through the establishment of a starbase there, known as Deep Space 9. Although officially under Bajoran control, Deep Space 9 was commanded by a Starfleet officer, Commander Benjamin Sisko. Following his assignment to Deep Space 9, Sisko assigned a Bajoran, Major Kira Nerys, as his executive officer, who also served as his liaison officer, coordinating relations between the Federation and the Provisional Government. Further actions taken that year included the release of all Bajorans imprisoned for killing Cardassians during the Occupation and the enforcement of new building codes. With the Federation's help, the Bajoran government began attempts to perform a massive energy transfer by tapping the molten core of its fifth moon, Jeraddo. Minister Toran was in charge of the energy project and to ensure that the moon's occupants were evacuated. Toran refused to hold up progress for three stubborn hold-outs, Mullibok, Baltrim and Keena, and forced Kira Nerys to remove the residents. She did so under protest. When Aamin Marritza was arrested aboard Deep Space 9, and evidence of his presence at Gallitep was discovered, Minister of State Kaval congratulated Sisko for imprisoning Marritza, telling him he had performed a "special service" for Bajor. He refused to listen to Sisko's argument that Starfleet did not have grounds for holding the Cardassian, bluntly stating that "we will have him". He later placed Kira Nerys in charge of the investigation. Troubled Times By early 2370, the Provisional Government was becoming increasingly unpopular. Its members were seen as political opportunists and its decision-making was hampered by in-fighting. With the death of the Kai, Bajor was left without a strong central authority. Civil strife ensued, with factional and religious tensions brought to the surface. In this environment, the xenophobic Alliance for Global Unity emerged as a threat to the survival of the Provisional Government. Unbenownst to the Chamber of Ministers, the Circle was led by Minister Jaro Essa, who saw an opportunity to advance his own political ambitions. Jaro perceived a threat to his rise to power, in the popularity of the war hero Li Nalas, recently freed from a labor camp on Cardassia IV. Jaro dealt with it by transferring Major Kira Nerys to a surface post, and assigning Li to DS9. Without Li's unifying influence, riots erupted across the planet. Disgruntled Bajorans angrily demanded a new government that could stand on its own. Armed with weapons purchased from Kressari traders, the Circle clashed with Bajoran Militia forces with increasing frequency. The Provisional Government was forced to deploy troops in Bajor's capital to put down unrest. However, the Militia was unable to stop the Circle; each potential conflict led to a further withdrawal. Jaro soon attracted support from Bajoran religious and military leaders, including Vedek Winn and General Krim. The coup was only foiled when Major Kira and Jadzia Dax arrived on Bajor with recently uncovered evidence regarding the Circle's weapon suppliers, in a shipping manifest. Cardassians, finding advantage in the Circle's disruption of Bajoran politics, had surreptitiously supplied the faction through intermediaries. The manifest, with a Cardassian Gul's thumb signature, convinced the Chamber of Ministers in time to avert the coup. Later that year, the Chamber of Ministers argued about irrigating the Trilar Peninsula for two days. Another major crisis in that year for the Provisional Government was the arrival of three million Skrreea refugees through the wormhole from the Gamma Quadrant. Their leader, Haneek, believing that Bajor was Kentanna, a promised land for the Skrreeans, petitioned the Provisional Government to allow them to settle on the planet. The Provisional Government considered Haneek's request, but in the end denied the Skrreea permission to immigrate, noting that it was having difficulty fixing the planet's existing problems. Later that year, the Chamber of Ministers agreed to hand over three Cardassian dissidents – Natima Lang, Rekelen and Hogue – to the Cardassian Union in exchange for the release of a half-dozen Bajoran prisoners. Sometime prior to 2370, the Provisional Government announced the Ilvian Proclamation. This declared that every Bajoran who was a member of the Bajoran Occupational Government was sentenced to exile, and included a list of named individuals so exiled. Kalem Apren was the First Minister in 2371. When he died from natural causes, Kai Winn Adami briefly assumed the position. Bajor was almost plunged into another civil war due to Winn's heavy-handed attempts to reclaim soil reclamators from farmers in Dahkur Province. However, farmer and former Bajoran Resistance leader Shakaar Edon was able to win significant popular and military support for his cause. He entered the subsequent election for First Minister and won after Winn was forced to withdraw from the race. In 2373, the Bajoran government successfully petitioned the Federation for membership. However, the Council of Ministers voted to delay their acceptance after Captain Benjamin Sisko, having had a series of visions, warned that it was too soon to join – that doing so would destroy Bajor. Sisko was later confronted by Admiral Charlie Whatley, who asked Sisko to contact the Chamber of Ministers and convince them that he was mistaken, but Sisko refused. Later that year, the Bajoran government declined to intervene when Hagath and his associates sold weapons within the Bajoran system. Hagath had sold weapons to the Bajoran Resistance, and it was felt that the Bajorans at least partially owed their freedom to Hagath and people like him. The Dominion War Later that year, the Provisional Government signed a nonaggression pact with the Dominion following its endorsement by the Emissary, who argued that it was Bajor's only chance of survival. With the Federation forced to abandon Space 9, the station was occupied by Dominion and [Cardassian forces, who were officially welcomed into Bajoran space by Major Kira on behalf of the Provisional Government. In 2374, Major Kira went to the Council of Ministers, asking them to lodge a formal protest against the planned execution of Rom. However, Weyoun had previously informed Kira that any protest by the Bajoran government would fall on deaf ears. In early 2375, the Provisional Government accepted a request from Senator Kimara Cretak of the Romulan Star Empire to build a field hospital on the Bajoran moon Derna to treat injured Romulans. When evidence emerged that the Romulans had begun arming the facility with plasma torpedoes, the Council of Ministers objected to this action and demanded that the Romulans remove the weapons. The Romulans refused, forcing the two allies into a tense stand-off. The Council of Ministers authorized Colonel Kira Nerys to blockade the hospital, providing her with twelve ships. Military The Bajoran Militia was the military arm of the Bajoran Provisional Government, originally made up of many former resistance fighters from the Occupation of Bajor. Although ostensibly under the control of the Provisional Government, some members of the organization, such as General Krim, supported the Alliance of Global Unity's unsuccessful coup attempt in 2370. After the Circle's attempt was defeated, Krim and the Militia confirmed their allegiance to the Provisional Government. Category:Bajoran Category:Governments